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Why Kibera slum residents were locked out of housing project


Hundreds of Kibera residents are set to miss out on the slum upgrade project rolled out by the government in 2003.

The scheme is under the Kenya Slum Upgrading Project.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), which has been overseeing the allocation of the recently completed houses in Kibera, released a list of 697 households that will benefit from the project.

Hopeful homeowners in Kibera were disgruntled after they realised their names were missing.

According to KNCHR, those whose names are missing from the list of homeowners have not met the conditions they agreed on with the government, prior to moving to the decanting site — Langata’s Otiende estate— in 2009.

The agreement was to pay a subsidised rent of Sh500 per room and Sh200 for water and save Sh100 with the Kibera Soweto East Housing Co-operative in order to raise 10 per cent for mortgage down payment.

However, residents led by Nyayo Highrise Ward Representative Morris Akuk denied signing any agreement.

“The government did not tell us anything about a 10 per cent. That came midway in the programme,” said Mr Akuk.

Mr Amos Acholla, a member of the Soweto residents forum said, “We’re being asked to raise Sh135,000 per household. What about those who are jobless?”